Kerala HC turns down bail plea requests of ex-TDB chief, two others in Sabarimala gold theft case

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 21 (ANI): Kerala High Court on Wednesday turned down the bail requests of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar and two others in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft cases.
Justice A Badharudeen refused to grant bail to Padmakumar, former TDB administrative officer B Murari Babu, and jeweller Roddam Pandurangaiah Naga Govardhan, who is based in Ballari in Karnataka.
Murari Babu had previously been denied bail in December 2025 and had renewed his plea in January.
Meanwhile, on January 20, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted extensive raids across multiple states at 21 locations as part of its investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.
Searches were conducted at the residences of all accused named in the case, as well as at institutions connected to them across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.ED raided the homes of key accused, including Unnikrishnan Potti, former Devaswom Board President A Padmakumar, N Vasu, Murari Babu, and gold traders Govardhan and Pankaj Bhandari. Searches are also being carried out at Smart Creations in Chennai and at the residence of Bellary-based gold trader Govardhan.
ED is probing financial transactions related to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case to determine whether large-scale money laundering occurred.
The Sabarimala gold theft case concerns allegations of the misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The theft allegedly occurred in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.
The controversy traces its origins to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who had gifted 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding work at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used. (ANI)